“I would propose that Ryanair replace the CEO with a probationary cabin crew member currently earning approximately €13,200 net per annum,” Capt Fischer has written in a letter to the Financial Times, which reported Mr O’Leary’s comments last week.

“Ryanair would benefit by saving millions of euros in salary, benefits and stock options,” the captain said, and there would be no need for approval from the authorities.

A Ryanair spokesperson genially responded:

“Michael thinks that cabin crew would make a far more attractive CEO than him – this obviously isn’t a very high bar – so we are going to seriously look at the suggestion,” said Stephen McNamara, a Ryan­air spokesman. “After all, if we can train cabin crew to land the plane, it should be no problem training them to do Michael’s job as well.”

Jesting aside, what do you value more: cheap airfare or a relatively safer experience? While I certainly don’t think co-pilots have become "navigators" (i.e. dinosaurs), O’Leary at least gives us something to think about in justifying the proposed pilot cutback. In 25 years, Ryanair has had only one pilot who suffered a heart attack in flight, and he still landed the plane.

Traditions should not necessarily be perpetuated merely because they are traditions, but there’s something very psychologically comforting about having a back-up pilot onboard, even if computers do much of the flying today. I’m willing to pay more for each flight for that incremental boost in safety. I will say this, however: if Ryanair does eliminate the co-pilot position (highly unlikely to be approved by EU regulators and perhaps not even a realistic proposal from publicity-hungry O’Leary), I would still fly them.

About Author

Matthew

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he
travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 120
countries over the last decade. Working both in the aviation industry
and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in the New York
Times, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, BBC, Fox News,
CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Al Jazeera, Toronto Star, and on NPR. Studying
international relations, American government, and later obtaining a
law degree, Matthew has a plethora of knowledge outside the travel
industry that leads to a unique writing perspective. He has served in
the United States Air Force, on Capitol Hill, and in the White House.
His Live and Let's Fly blog shares the latest news in the airline
industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs and promotions, and
detailed reports of his worldwide travel. His writings on
penandpassport.com offer more general musings on life from the eyes of a frequent traveler. He also founded awardexpert.com, a
highly-personalized consulting service that aids clients in the
effective use of their credit card points and frequent flyer miles.
Clients range from retirees seeking to carefully use their nest egg of
points to multinational corporations entrusting Matthew with the
direction and coordination of company travel.